Spicy Paneer & Vegetable Spring Rolls

Although spring rolls are normally considered a Chinese delicacy, these Indian-inspired creations are quite different in taste. After eating some of these crispy morsels at a local cafe, I thought I'd have a go at making them myself, whilst watching the Diwali fireworks going off in my neighbourhood.

So long as you can buy ready-made spring roll pastry, they're simple enough for kids or any novice cook to prepare, but look quite impressive.

• 2 cups (around 225g/9oz) paneer, crumbled or grated
• 1 cup each of frozen or tinned petits pois and sweetcorn
• 1 tsp freshly-grated ginger
• 1 crushed clove of garlic 
• 1 green chilli, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh, chopped coriander
• 1 tsp garam masala
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp fennel seeds
• ½ tsp chat masala (optional, but worth using if you can find it)
• 10 sheets of spring roll pastry
• vegetable oil, for frying

First make a flour/water paste using 1 tsp flour to 1 tbsp water (this is your 'glue' for the pastry).

Mix all of the filling ingredients together in a large bowl.
Take one spring roll sheet and place a heaped tablespoon of mixture by one corner (see photos above).
Spread a little of the paste along the opposite two edges.
Fold the bottom corner of pastry over the filling and roll once.
Fold in each side of the wrapper and roll towards the far corner (like a burrito).
Repeat until all of the filling has been used up.

Heat a good glug of vegetable oil in a large frying pan, on a medium-high heat. Shallow fry the spring rolls in two batches, cooking for 2-3 minutes on each side. Drain well on kitchen roll and keep warm in the oven.
Alternatively, brush generously with vegetable oil and bake in the oven at 190C/180C Fan/Gas 5/375F for 10 to 15 minutes, turning once.

Serve hot or warm with salad and your favourite chutneys/pickles, or try my Indian restaurant style mint sauce and onion salad.
To make this into a main meal, simply serve with rice and dhal.

Vegan variation: swap the paneer for 2 cups of mashed potato.
Filling variations: to make the paneer filling go further, add two cups of mashed potato and double the spice quantities.
Swap the peas and sweetcorn for cooked chickpeas (chana) if you prefer.  

Suitable for freezing. Batch cook in advance and freeze if you are cooking for large numbers over Diwali, Eid, Christmas or any other celebrations!

I'm adding this post to the Meat Free Mondays linky at Tinned Tomatoes.